Seacoast FCBL team taking shape, but big questions remain

Sunday

Jan 30, 2011 at 2:00 AM

Sean Evans and Mike Daboul are popular guys these days.

Mike Zhe

Sean Evans and Mike Daboul are popular guys these days.

The two men charged with putting together the roster for the Seacoast franchise in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League have heard from college coaches across the country in the little less than two months since the team was unveiled.

With three franchises confirmed for this summer's inaugural season — the Martha's Vineyard Sharks and a team operated by Nashua Collegiate Baseball are the others — there were some 78 extra summer roster spots available for college freshmen, sophomores and juniors.

For college coaches, placing players in a summer collegiate league is win-win. It's an extra two months of high-caliber experience, and two months spent focusing on baseball when players might otherwise lean toward beaches and parties.

Hence, the phone calls and e-mails.

"You've got to kind of sift through it," said Evans, a patrol officer with the Portsmouth Police Department and former minor-league pitcher, who serves as the Seacoast team's general manager. "You read the e-mails from these coaches and there are trigger words that jump out at you — 'good location' means he probably doesn't throw that hard."

The most high-profile prospect on the Seacoast roster could be Notre Dame freshman Donnie Hissa, a 6-foot-7 right-handed pitcher who throws in 90s, according to team owner Dave Hoyt. The team is hoping to have his summer commitment in the next few days. Earlier, it signed Fisher College fireballer Michael Hashem.

"If people want to see what 96, 97 miles per hour looks like, they'll want to see us," said Hoyt, adding that he expects Major League Baseball scouts to have a presence at his team's games this summer.

Because the FCBL mandates that each team include at least 13 players on their 26-man rosters who are from New England or play for New England colleges, there will be plenty of local flavor. The Seacoast team has agreements in place from former local standouts Casey Cotter (Winnacunnet), Zac Fernandes (Marshwood), Taylor Denson (Phillips Exeter Academy) and Chris Tuttle (Exeter), and there could be others.

Daboul said the team has been in touch with more than 100 college coaches since their franchise was introduced early last month. In a region where two higher-profile summer leagues — the Cape Cod Baseball League and New England Collegiate Baseball League — are stocked mostly with players from outside of New England, the FCBL aims to fill that void.

"I think it's a great thing," said UMass-Boston coach Brendan Eygabrout, who led his team to the Division III College World Series last spring. "Anyone who watches Division III knows how good the baseball is. There's definitely a need for a league that focuses on New England guys. I'm excited."

Ironically, one of Eygabrout's pitchers this spring is freshman Gabe May of Portsmouth, who was largely overlooked in the recruiting process but impressed coaches during fall practice. Many of the players coming to the Seacoast this summer are in a similar situation, overlooked for whatever reason.

"He had a great fall for us," said Eygabroat, who said May is one of three freshmen he'll count on out of the bullpen. "He's a guy who wasn't highly recruited and did have some problems with control. But he was throwing some devastating breaking balls. We're excited about him."

As the Seacoast roster takes shape, a big remaining question is where the games are going to be played. Seacoast's "territory" extends south to Newburyport, Mass.; west to Exeter; and north to Rochester; so a home field could fall anywhere in that zone.

"I've been asked to take a look at a couple (sites)," said Hoyt on Friday. "I'm very enthusiastic about one or two locations."

One place the team won't be playing is Leary Field in Portsmouth. The team made quiet inquiries earlier this month about the feasibility of playing home games there, but was told by the city it wasn't available for 22 home dates.

"We just don't have that kind of time (available)," said city recreation director Rus Wilson. "We couldn't give up 22 to 24 dates over a two-month span. ... We're jammed right from the time snow gets off it to when we start soccer (in the fall)."

What made Leary attractive was its central, downtown location. Another potential home site — Marshwood High School in South Berwick, Maine — would take a little more effort for Seacoast fans wanting to take in a game.

Wilson said it could be a different story in 2012, but field space remains an issue. Currently, Leary is the home field for 13-15 and 16-18 Babe Ruth teams, American Legion entry Booma Post 6 and a men's league. There are also events scheduled like fireworks on the 4th of July.

Of the three teams that have been announced by the FCBL — the league has said it will operate with at least four in its inaugural year — the Seacoast franchise looks to have the most work to do between now and opening day on June 9.

Martha's Vineyard and Nashua, who were introduced before the Seacoast franchise, have Web sites up and running and coaching staffs in place. Nashua will be managed by former Red Sox farmhand Mike Chambers and assisted by Nashua South High School coach B.J. Neverett.

Hoyt said his team has narrowed the managerial candidates down to two and planned to offer the job to one of them. Ken Jobin, the pitching coach at Division III New England College, will serve in that capacity on the Seacoast.

As far as the roster goes, Daboul said there are six remaining spots to fill and two contracts pending. He said he likes the way the team is taking shape.

"We had a conference call (Monday)," said Evans. "The Martha's Vineyard team has four Division I players. We're probably going to end up with three or four ourselves. It'll be a good mix of guys."

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